87 comments:

Anonymous
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I must watch again, as there were too many nuggets to digest (by the way, for those of you who can't wait to see when this is up on OnDemand, I caught this at 12:01a, so when they say Monday, they mean Monday!!!).

Random thoughts:

1.) Scott at the paper is starting to remind me of that guy at the NY Times that admitted he lied about stories for years. It can't be that easy can it?

2.) I can't believe that Freamon is siding with McNulty on these altered murders... Who would have ever thought that the Bunk would be odd man out on this one? Good for you Bunk. I agree wholeheartedly with whomever posted before that these victims, no matter how unimportant, have families and they deserve to know the truth.

3.) My favorite is Mike so of course I was happy to see Tristan with some more screen time. Isn't it sad to see them at the park being kids for once and knowing that it would be over soon... I just knew that there would be problems when he got back. Notice how he didn't back down from Monk though... Say whatever you will about Mike, but he has some Cahunus (sp?) on him. I am going to be destroyed if they off him. I breezed through season 1 on demand (I know I missed a lot because you really have to watch these 2-3 times to catch everything) so I wasn't as attached to Wallace like everyone else... But Mike, man, what will happen to Duquan and Bug? They have made me feel for them too much.

4.) Chris & Snoop... Whoo-Wee! Once that bullet went into Blind Butchie's head, I knew that their death certificates were signed. They might as well be walking around with their toe tags on now. Omar is going to destroy them... This is going to be bigger than the Barksdale/Stanfield war... I will be on the edge of my seat for this one. I still can't get over how unemotional they both are about death... If the Wire cares about justice at all, these two have got to fall...

5.) Poor Clay... No leverage with Carcetti's office... The first time I have seen him publicly demoralized.

I thought this was the best episode, by far, of the new season. I'll admit I wasn't as wildly thrilled as usual after the first two episodes. I knew the show would be back, it would have to, but I wasn't sure what direction it would go in.

Jimmy's line "we need to kill again" was as big a laugh as I've had by the show as I've ever had. As absurd as Jimmy's idea seems, and as absurd as the idea of Freamon helping out might be, it is absolutely in character for each man.

Sorry to see Butchie go, but it's all in the game, I guess. Anything to get Omar back into the fray as soon as possible.

Omar has benefited from four of the best first scenes in each of the last four seasons: pulling the shotgun on Bubs in season two, the in-disguise sacking of a Barksdale stashouse in season three, the Honey-Nut Cheerios shopping spree in season four, and now the straw hat on a Caribbean island in season five.

I think Alan's observation about Michael seeing what it would be like to get out was nicely portrayed by the Six Flags visit. He's still a kid, even if he doesn't know it.

Nice nod to continuity to see Barlow back in the picture. has he ever been seen since he was rubbing the phone receiver on his crotch in the first five minutes of the very first episode?

One thing I didn't quite get - I'm assuming if Marlo needed "clean" bills because he wants to usurp Joe, it seems odd to me that he went to Joe to get the fresh cash. Is there any chance in the world that he's doing what he's doing with Joe's blessing of some kind, or am I overthinking things?

Norman was a reporter? Who knew?

I'm starting to really dislike Templeton. His actions make you wonder if one of his "quotes" is eventually going to be so outlandish that it's going to be his downfall.

That's all I can think of for the moment, and I need to get back to work. Thanks Alan for this chance to throw ideas out there!

I have to say I'm still not crazy about this season. It seems that with only 10 episodes instead of the usual 12 or 13 they're trying to do "More With Less" if you will. The McNulty thing is especially hard to get into. I find the whole serial killer plot extremely tough to believe, it's just not the kind of thing I expected to see on The Wire. I also would have liked to see a little bit more of McNulty's "descent"...when we left him he was happily domesticated with Beadie and getting a new lease on life, now he's drinking and whoring worse than he ever has. I understand what they're trying to say, that the pressures of the job and the politics of the department have led him to his old ways, but for a show that usually SHOWS these things as opposed to just implying them it sticks out like a sore thumb.

As for the newspaper stuff, I'll echo what somebody else said earlier: the characters seem to be too one-dimensional, too good and evil to be believable. You definitley get the feeling that Simon is trying to beat us over the head with his own experience here.

if you insist on watching the season from that framework, yes, that argument can be made. if you put the prejudices aside and let the story arcs develop on their own, and put david simon's history to the side, there are definitely shades of gray as far as the newsroom characters and their actions. it's helpful in this case to kinda forget about the backstory and its comparisons and contrasts. it's certainly not the worst treatment of the subject at hand. i think i have a better understanding of some of the dynamcics and personalites behind the scenes of a newspaper -- and all within the space of maybe thirty minutes total in three episodes.

Yeah, I'm finding the Jayson Blair storyline a bit disappointingly familair -- and I could have done without the "what newspapers mean to me" speeches at the bar from Gus and the bought-out reporter. I say that as a recently laid-off reporter.

But I agree that in general this was a total kickass episode. I'm having a few issues with realism -- HOW fast did Marlo get a passport? -- but there were enough good things here, I didn't care.

I was dubious about the serial killer plot at the end of last week, but I LOVE where they've gone with it -- McNulty actually pulled it off, fooled the ME and everything, only to find that nobody cares. Classic Wire. Also, Bunk's expressions throughout were priceless -- even he had to smile when the other detective FINALLY remembered the red string, and then his look of horror when he realized that Lester was wholeheartedly embracing the idea. I bought that, too; Lester's always been shown as perfectly willing to risk his career to work a case (like with the subpoenas a few seasons ago, not to mention the case that first got him shipped off to the pawn shop unit).

Six Flags was great too, in a painful sort of way. Daniels' past is coming back to haunt him like you knew it would (I loved the rapport he still has with Marla). And it's beautiful seeing Clay Davis squirm for once, though this show being what it is, I doubt we'll actually get to see him go down.

I agree with Alan that we're seeing the effects of fewer episodes -- it does seem a bit rushed. But rushed Wire is still better than anything else on TV, so I'm going to stop bitching about it.

I would say what's different about tackling journalism as an institution compared to the police, the ports, or the schools is that it is inherently a business (now the ports were as well, but that was more about the loss of a class of people than about the ports themselves). Every season has had the people in charge make financial decisions, but this is the first to show an institution trying to make a profit.

The past seasons have shown public servants making good and bad decisions for personal prestige, but rarely for personal financial gain. Season 5 is different in that this is a company that values profit and seeks it out. There are money men who are simply interested in the pursuit of money.

The conflict comes from this being a news gathering organization that is charged with informing the public. The importance in what Simon is trying to say is that this is no longer their number one goal. It is to make a profit.

Now, I'm not sure you can try to blame a company for making a profit (and Clark Johnson's Gus mentions in episode 3 why they are having cutbacks when the Tribune Company is still making money), but I think Simon is trying to get people to realize why newspapers are failing, why they are more interested in chasing awards and pop culture stories than hard news on urban failings or the run-up to the war in Iraq, and that's because more and more people who run newspapers are not newspapermen; they are businessmen.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this episode. Probably my favorite so far this season:

1. Loved the little scene between Chris Partlow and Slim Charles waiting outside for Joe and Marlo. Felt like the Norman and Royce's Chief of Staff scene from last year. Assistants bitching about their bosses.

2. Nice callbacks to Clay Davis's driver in season 1 (this show never forgets anything) and Norman having worked for the Sun mention in Season 4 (which I only caught recently rewatching the season and I knew at the time that that was going to figure into this season somehow). Also good to hear that whatever mess Daniels was into before the show started has not been forgotten (of course not).

3. Lester's reaction to Jimmy's plan and Bunk's reaction to Lester's reaction were both great. For the people still not on board with this, is it any more of a stretch than Hamsterdam was? I think people are more incline to give that a pass because most saw it as a good idea and we didn't really know Bunny enough to mourn his fall. I doubt people believe this is a good idea for Jimmy to do partly out of execution and partly because we want to root for his character.

4. It was odd seeing scenes in the Carribean and Six Flags. I felt like Bodie learning there were radio stations outside of Baltimore. This show does such a good job of recreating Baltimore that its jarring to realize there's a world outside of it.

5. The most puzzling shot from this seasons open was the ribbon being wrapped around the wrist. Who knew that Jimmy faking a serial killer pattern would be the explanation for it?

6. Ugh, I wish there were 13 episodes this year. So much good comes from the slow Wire moments. This going too fast.

I think the major difference between Hamsterdam and what McNulty is doing is that what McNulty is doing is much more overt than what Bunny Colvin did. With Colvin, he just looked at something people were doing anyway (selling, buying, and using drugs) and tried to change the way it was done to lessen the pain to taxpaying, ordinary citizens. McNulty is fundamentally changing what things are: turning natural deaths into murders and ordinary murders into serial killings.

On the newspaper storyline, a lot of what they're saying seems to contradict what theyv'e tried to say with previous seasons of the show. Simon has argued that individuals mean less and less in today's society. But the reason for newspapers' declining popularity is that the Internet and other technologies have allowed INDIVIDUALS to choose where and how they get there news as opposed to only getting what a newspaper tells them to. Make sense?

This was a terrific episode. There is a tension building. The question isn't when are McNulty and Scott going down (because they are), it's who are they going to bring down with them.

It's nice to see Bunk as the only one with a clear head on his shoulders.

Daniels and Clay Davis are almost in the same situation. You can really see the fear in each other their faces.

The scene with Butchie, Chris and Snoop was excellent. Even though I knew it was coming, I jumped out of my seat when Chris and Snoop came charging into the bar. I was gripping my seat. Then, when they finally offed Butchie, I didn't want to believe it happened. Omar has to come back, not just for revenge, but because he has to know everyone else he knows is in danger, too.

I'm gonna mention this in the episode review on Sunday, but I'm glad someone else appreciated this as much as I did. "Chappelle's Show" happened in between Rawlings' last appearance on this show and now, and so I was worried when they brought him back that they would be using him in a serious way and I would just be thinking of Ashy Larry. Instead, they let Rawlings deliver that hilarious line to Clay.

IMO the supposed lack of context for the newsroom people is a direct result of only having 10 episodes this year. Although I dont really think Whiting and Tebanow are that much different from Rauls and Burrel, and Gus is obviously like Bunny Colvin. Think about it though, they have to wrap up most of the storylines for one of the biggest, deepest ensemble cast's we've EVER seen on TV. AND introduce a whole new set of characters with their own individual story arcs that have to be wrapped up in 10 episodes instead of the normal 12-13. Even for a show like this that has some of the best writers out there, thats so tough to do. Add the fact that we've only seen 3 episodes, I think people are being a little too harsh this season. One of the reasons obviously being that the show just finished what is debatably the greatest season of a television drama to date.

Can't believe no one mentioned McNulty bangin' blondie on the hood of a car in a public parking lot. I havent laughed that hard in a long time. Then a cruiser rolls past and he just flashes his badge and goes right back at it. The western district way.

Was waiting for Norman to make contact with his Sun roots. Remember last year on election day when Royce printed that phony picture of Carcetti with a slum lord? Norman says "I didn't work at the Sun paper for 15 years for nothing, I'm gonna call my boy on it." Or something like that.

It took 5 seasons but I believe we had our first scene out of the northeastern U.S. Actually two scenes with wherever Marlo went and where ever Omar was shacked up(Mexico?). "Ayo Renaldo I finally found out where to get the Honey Nut." Omar loves him some Honey Nut Cheerios and New-pawts.

Loved Lester's first reaction to McNulty, "This type of shit actually goes through you're head?". Then he stuns me and Bunk and goes along with it. "The dead people ain't gonna mind."

R.I.P. Butchie. He was right last season when he said "this ain't over." Too right for his own good.

As for whoever said "if theres any justice in this show...". Stop right there, there is no justice in this show.

Yeah, that is a difference between Hamsterdam and the serial killer. Now the question will come in the outcome, I suppose, since Bunny was fired over Hamsterdam. Doe the Wire law of bad ideas mean McNulty survives? Promoted? Remember, the bigger the lie, the more they believe.

On the individual, I think Simon has always said or at least implied is its the individual within an institution that has become marginalized. So reporters and detectives mean less and less than they used to.

This has never really applied to the users of the institutions. A lot has been made in the drug game in the past seasons that users will go where the best drugs are. I think the same can be said for people who want the news. Individuals outside of institutions still have some control over those institutions as long as they spend their money to reflect it.

This was one of the funniest episodes of the Wire I have ever seen. The McNulty sex scene had me laughing harder than maybe any other scene on television since Chappelle's Show Rick James skit. I also really liked the scenes with Bunk staring down McNulty as McNulty was putting together his serial killer case. The scenes with McNulty trying to get the other detective to pick up on the red string was great too. Marlo with the French woman at the bank was also another great scene that had me laughing. And with Ashy Larry from Chappelle's show getting some great scenes, you just can't beat this episode in terms of comedy. Is the Wire the funniest show on TV? It's definitely the funniest show I am currently watching.

At first I shared the same apprehensions that everyone else did about the McNulty serial killer plot after episode 2. I thought it seemed like a little bit far fetched and over the top. However, I think episode 3 really brought that plotline home. Eventually, you just realize that it is completely plausible because no one gives a fuck. And with how disfunctional the police department is, it would almost be more unrealistic if McNulty didn't go down this road after learning about the effects of bruising a fresh body. I think David Simon might have intended people to get these different feelings after episodes 2 and 3. The shock after episode 2 because it should be a big deal, but then being brought back to earth that we're living in the U.S.A. 2008 after episode 3. "You're good as dead without a bank account." - Bright Eyes.

Also, one thing I've been thinking that I haven't seen anyone else bring up is that the Nareese quote about Daniels stabbing Burell in the back might be fake. Given what we know about Scott and the ease with which it seems to make up a quote and even attribute it to someone, it seems like this could be a possibility. Gus obviously isn't going to call up Nareese to check on a quote she wants to be anonymous. If Scott did get the quote from her, it would ruin any credibility he has with her in the future.

Some people have criticized the storyline as saying it just seems copied from the NYT scandal, but over at teh House Next Door they're linking to articles where David Simon says there was a reporter at the Sun who was engaging in plagurism and the editors were warned about it but did nothing. Given the ease with which fake stories could be published in today's news climate, I have a feeling every major paper has had at least one person who has engaged in it at one point. And since nothing has really changed, I'm sure it still goes on as well. "The game is the game." "Always." Applies to newspaper journalism just like everything else.

To be honest, if there is one thing in this season that might be unrealistic to me, it might be Marlo going after Omar. Obviously, this showdown has to happen for dramatic reasons on the show and because it will be possibly the most badass thing ever on film, but Marlo is going into this knowing that he is going to lose a lot and his only gain is rep. I guess as viewers we're given a little bit more of an advantage because we know Omar is possibly the most intelligent character on the show and we know that even if they kill Omar they'll probably lose at least 10 people in the process. But maybe 10 guys are worth being known as the person that finally killed Omar. Anyway, I'm looking forward to episode 4 like crazy to see how Omar returns. Just seeing him walking down the street in his trademark gear with shotgun in the previews makes me feel warm inside.

Also, apparently every character gets "wrapped up" this season. Does that mean the Brother is going to make another appearance? Will Omar enlist his services? Definitely interested to see that.

This season is definitely starting off tremendously. Some people have said that only 10 episodes has made things move too quickly, but I'm really not minding it. I'd obviously love more Wire than less, but I like the pace they're going with it. It's the last season and they're going out with a huge bang.

There are two very interesting arguements to be made for Jimmy's serial killer idea. My original stance was against McNulty, strictly because the dead, even the homeless dead, don't deserve to be desecrated. I dismissed Jimmy as a dedicated but drunk detective at the end of his alcoholic rope. I did not see the other side until Freamon jumped on board, because...frankly, Lester is the voice of reason, at least within BPD side of the show, and certainly within the MCU crew. So, I was forced to rethink the scenerio. These are two natural-born detectives, whom both are intelligent yet frustrated and disgruntled. They've had promises broken on them and both have been bounced around and busted back to menial but comfortable positions in the department, only to be prodded back into the same old BS situation. That would drive anyone to start acting crazy at work. Also, McNulty is a protege of-sorts to Bunny..the mastermind behind Hampsterdam. Given a different set of circumstances, the Hampsterdam project might have been a success. The problem is a question of judgement. McNulty, and now Freamon, are turning natural deaths into homocides, the effects of which ripple out a lot further than I think they fully realize..whatever they may believe is right or wrong.

Chris and Snoop are cold as ice. They are a frightning duo, seriously. Poor Butchie...there's a guy that, in your heart of hearts, you wouldn't want to see tortured. But, to echo McNulty's quote from last season, "you play in the dirt, you get dirty." Butchie knew the stakes of supporting someone like Omar, and in the end he stood tall for his boy.

I'm with the newspaper storyline so far. Gus is alright, man. Rattles the cages when he has to, takes the hits like a man, all the while doing his best to protect the integrity of the newspaper.

Clay Davis needs to let out at least one more "Sheeeeeeeit" before the end!!

Okay, so the Sergei thing wasn't too much of a stretch: He just told Marlo about the diner where the "Greeks" used to hang out; he didn't actually contact them--although I'm surprised they'd ever come back there since they knew the cops knew about the place.

But this McNulty serial-killing business is getting a little silly. I can buy that Jimmy is losing his mind. But LESTER? Why the hell is HE going along with Jimmy's lunacy? If this story does become big enough to attract major media attention, it wouldn't take a genius to notice that Jimmy's cooking the story. First, every homeless death Jimmy is sent to investigate just happens to turn out to be a serial killing. Second, if the writers go where I think they're going with this, then Jimmy's gonna start making the "killings" look extra sick & kinky. But whoever originally found the body and phoned it in would probably remember whether or not the deceased was in some weird pose with his pants pulled down or whatever. Is Lester really interested not only in committing career suicide but also in possibly going to prison? Seems out of character for the eminently sane Det. Freamon.

What a gut-wrenching episode. I had to rewatch what took place after the Butchie scene because none of it had registered immediately after seeing him get killed. Make no mistake: they've caught Omar's attention. I'm not so sure, or perhaps afraid, they've signed their death warrants in the process. We've already seen Omar take down Stringer, will Simon and Co. repeat? There are numerous differences between the two, but from a general storytelling standpoint, I'm not going into this with quite the same optimism.

I'm still waiting to see how Daniels' dirty past will come to interfere with the shake-ups at city hall. Fans of the show have been waiting for that to be revealed for a long time now, and we knew a season focusing on the media would most likely provide the arena. Now, however, we might find out that letting sleeping dogs lie is sometimes for the best (obviously, there is a debate here).

Also, will McNulty and Freamon's actions come to interfere with the Marlo investigation? Another thing The Wire is great at showing is how these characters, on both sides of the law, continuously brush shoulders with fate, without even knowing what brought them there (or prevented them from getting their due) in the first place.

In case anyone avoids watching previews for the next episodes, don't read my next comment...Did anyone notice that guy tossing Omar his shotgun? If I'm not mistaken, that guy is the one of the true-life inspirations for Mr Little, is he not? The same guy who married Fran Boyd just last year?

I already said this on a dead thread nobody'll read, but I need to repeat it: the best, smartest show on TV has the smartest, or at least most educated fans. Everyone's spelling and sentence structure is so correct, almost elegant, comment after comment. Capitalized names, no lazy abbreviations, capitalized words after a period... hell, punctuation altogether. Erudition up the ass all around. Even the Sommelier behind the plexi-glass would be impressed.

I think it's just as much a tribute to Sepinwall's fine blog (and Matt Zoller Seitz's, too). If you check out some other blogs and forums, you'll find that Wire fans include a sizeable portion of gangstas and gangsta-wannabes who tend to favor "creative" hip-hop orthography and casual syntax.

"I'm having a few issues with realism -- HOW fast did Marlo get a passport?"- Holly Martins

I actually got my first passport in less than 24 hours. The clerk was being kind of a dick to me, so I lost my temper and yelled at him. He must have put a rush order on my passport, because it was in my mailbox the following morning. So I'm sure Prop Joe's people could easily get equally fast service from a local government clerk.

I actually got my first passport in less than 24 hours. The clerk was being kind of a dick to me, so I lost my temper and yelled at him. He must have put a rush order on my passport, because it was in my mailbox the following morning. So I'm sure Prop Joe's people could easily get equally fast service from a local government clerk.

Plus, let's not forget that Marlo and Prop Joe have an obscene amount of cash. It's not out of the question that they could just slip the clerk some cash to get it done quickly.

1. Dear lord, Scott is a snake. His "dead wood" quote was just so arrogant and the manufactured quote could wreck the lives of both the Daniels. This being the Wire, it might even get someone killed (this show loves chain reactions).

2. The "serial killer" plot-line might seem more outlandish than "Hamsterdam" because "Hamsterdam" was created by a new character, one whom we didn't have much invested in. McNulty we've known all along, and it's distressing to see him acting like this.

3. Even if it does work, what's going to happen if Lester and Mcnulty solve the Marlo case, and someone asks, "Well, weren't you investigating that serial killer?"

4. I liked the parallels between McNulty and Alma, both getting the paper -- neither of them seems to want to pay for it -- and both being disappointed by where their stories wound up.

2. The "serial killer" plot-line might seem more outlandish than "Hamsterdam" because "Hamsterdam" was created by a new character, one whom we didn't have much invested in. McNulty we've known all along, and it's distressing to see him acting like this.

The McNulty we've known all along seems to have always had a subconscious wish to sabotage his own career -- dating all the way back to the pilot episode. This is just a culmination of that.

Thanks, anonymous. I know it was an insignificant nitpick anyway, but that's good to know (probably varies by state -- got mine in New York, it took weeks to arrive).

The scene of Marlo in the bank was interesting regardless; get him outside of his comfort zone and he doesn't seem all that dangerous, does he? Suddenly a young female teller has more power than he does.

I guess that's another longstanding Wire theme -- think Stringer in over his head with Clay Davis, the "corner kids" at the upscale restaurant, or even McNulty at a black tie party.

I really like the analysis of McNulty's scheme vs. Hamsterdam, so I had to comment on it.

I don't think the plans of McNulty and Bunny are really that different at all. McNulty isn't turning natural deaths into homicides - he's changing how they are perceived. Similarly Bunny changed how drug dealing was perceived by his officers. I think the reaction by fans (and I fall in the same category) is mainly because of how much we are invested in McNulty. Bunny's scheme wasn't without consequence either (the old woman who lived in the supposedly vacant area). Of course, by season 3 we also had seen much of the hopelessness of the war on drugs, there really isn't a comparison with a war on evidence tampering.

I think the underlying theme, and brilliance we've come to expect from the show, behind the newspaper staff lies more in the impact it has on the honest worker, the "individual" as referred to in previous posts. Here we have yet another institution where the rich get richer and the competent (like Gus, and moreover the reporter who is 'dead wood' but can spew facts about Daniels' position, history, etc.) get screwed in the process.

It's the corruption of the institution, signifying the fall of American values and tradition, that lead otherwise honorable men (like Sabotkas from the docks, Bunny Colvin, et al) into situations that cripple their ability to continue to succeed while doing what they do best. We have insight into what leads them to their various pitfalls and an opportunity to see the impact of the decisions these men and women make as desperation cuts them down.

All the while, corruption continues to pay dividends, whether it be ratting out a superior officer to gain promotion in the BPD or plagiarizing for a headline at the Sun. The parallels in The Wire have always resonated as the deepest message... from the cops to the criminals, politics to education to the docks and the media, blue collar, white collar and no collar... clearly we're all in this sinking ship together and those who fight hardest to right the ship sink the fastest.

The small victories have always been lost in the fold, and surely this season will conclude with a city and world in as much disarray as it was when the journey began. Until then, though, what a truly fantastic realism to capture the essence of modern society on a show that, poetically, is ignored by the masses and takes solace in its small victories, like a 5th season that strives to do more. With less.

-mywaydimag- kudos to realizing that The Wire itself has to do more with less this season (10 eps vs. 13). How very meta.

-I think perhaps part of the reason viewers/critics are finding the show a bit more didactic or heavy handed with themes/meaning this season is because we already know so much of this media tale. When Whiting gave that speech atop the desk, we heard nothing new or surprising. We are well aware that the internet has changed the face of journalism, that our local newspapers are owned by out of town corporations, and newspaper readership has decreased dramatically. When Alma was so excited to see her story on the front page, didn't we all know that murders of poor families would most likely be found in the metro section? Perhaps we seem "preached to" because we actually have heard it all before. I happen to be an inner city teacher and I remember one moment in Season Four when Prez is handed the test scores. He initially feels pleased at their progress, and I literally groaned out loud. I was about to go off on a rant about how those "standardized" tests scores are anything but standard and how "passing" isn't passing (here in chicago it's getting 35% correct), when lo and behold the teacher explained it for me. I was relieved that ed and david got that message across.I think in many ways this show is a mission. For those of us who live or work in these places, it is really important that these stories get told. It is important that people understand the shit that truly goes on. Just as I hoped that in S4 Ed and David would tell my story, scream it from the mountaintops, hammer it home, and influence those who don't give a passing thought to our urban schools to do something about it, David is doing it again with his beloved profession. I won't fault him for it or talk about it again!

- Is anyone else just enthralled with Marlo/Jaime Hector? I love his portrayal, and love how slowly we got to know his character.

-Speaking of slow revelations- YES the Daniels dirty laundry! I can't wait until it's revealed. (and I'm confident enough in my own intelligence to admit I totally forgot about it.)

- So for everyone who didn't like the McNulty storyline at first, I'm sure we all felt smug and justified as Bunk verbalized all of our reservations. Then, boom! Man of Reason Lester Freamon not only likes it, but improves it. Those are the surprises I'll miss most about this show! (I don't find it out of character for him to go along with it. I just like how as viewers we can't get what we want!)

-My favorite line from the ep is McNulty to Alma re: her boyfriend."Is he bigger than me?"Jimmy despite the fact that he is a drunk rogue cop who has sex with (and that is really too delicate a term to describe it) with a random woman on a car hood= still somehow totally hot.

-The opening McNulty/Bunk scene will probably be added to the YouTube "Dominic West blows his accent" videos.

-Agree it was totally strange to see scenes out of Baltimore. Who didn't laugh at Senor Omar handing out candy? Where is he? Who knows, but can't a player get some honey nut?

Well if we're going to be entirely literal about it I guess I'd have to agree. Once somebody's already dead you can't go back and change what killed them. I still think that there's a fundamental difference. Also, from a realism point of view, what McNulty's doing just seems a lot less plausible then what Bunny's doing. Others may disagree of course, and maybe some of it has to do with the way it's been portrayed...but if I were to read both in the newspaper tomorrow morning I'd be much more shocked about McNulty than I would Hamsterdam.

"So for everyone who didn't like the McNulty storyline at first, I'm sure we all felt smug and justified as Bunk verbalized all of our reservations. Then, boom! Man of Reason Lester Freamon not only likes it, but improves it."

Well, I'm still not totally sold on this storyline, but I'll withhold judgement until it plays out. But Bunk is perfectly right to be worried and appalled by Jimmy's actions. And who couldn't see Lester's "improvement" coming? His involvement in Jimmy's scheme was of course a real surprise; but his idea for improving Jimmy's plan could be seen coming for miles. Of course Jimmy was going to make the "killings" look even more gruesome and kinky: After all, everyone knows that sex sells.

I think reading all the press about The Wire this season is starting to detract from my enjoyment of the show. Between The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Esquire, Slate, newspapers and blogs like this one, I feel like I've read Simon's thesis for season 5 about 15 times. I'm glad the show is getting the press, and hopefully it will attract some new viewers, but the newspaper story feels predictable because I've read too much about Simon's past and I'm too close to the industry. I'm sure Ed Burns had fish to fry in the police department, but if those people are the basis for Burrell and Rawls, I wouldn't know. This season it's getting hard to discern what I've seen on the show from what I've read in interviews. Sometimes they're one and the same, like this nugget from the Columbia Journalism Review piece:

Simon slammed their vision of journalism. He trashed the work they were most proud of, mocked their social graces, and dropped on them a generous payload of f-bombs. “Whenever they hear the word ‘Pulitzer,’ they become tumescent,” he said.

I watched Episode 3 last night, and the picture froze on me just as Lester is telling McNulty he needed to sensationalize the "serial murders", which left me wondering if he actually threw in on this thing with McNulty, or if he was just thinking out loud about how to improve on it as an intellectual excerise.

The scene with Marlo in the bank just didn't work for me. It's hard to believe that a bank teller in any of those offshore tax/money laundering havens would not speak English.

Of course, since my picture froze during the scene with Bunk, Lester and McNulty, I didn't know about the reintroduction of Omar until I read this thread. Oh, well.

I had to go to a friend's house to watch the new episode, so i didn't get all the details (usually takes 3-4 viewings for me to feel the beginnings of a grasp.) One thing that struck me was Marlo's complete lack of understanding about basic functions we take for granted-- like banks. He's has a brilliant business mind and he doesn't understand the concept of a bank account (introducing the concept of the interest he could make on 400k would be too much?) His complete lack of social skills was never more apparent then his continued insistence on speaking English to someone who clearly didn't speak the language. How did he ever make it from the airport? It's sad to see these otherwise intelligent characters only able to function in one environment. They can't do better because they very literally don't know how.

The scene at Six Flags killed me. Because of the weight on Dukie and Michael's shoulders, I sometimes forget that they are kids. To see them able to just be that for the first time in a long, long time... ugh. Heartbreaking. I think there is enough humanity in Michael that he may change his mind about being in the game. But can he get out? And if does, can you "recover" from being a murderer?

I think Marlo signed his death warrant-- as did Chris & Snoop-- when they killed Butchie. It was sloppy and stupid as Snoop sort of pointed out-- they have no new information about Omar, but now he is on their ass. Marlo's vices are getting the best of him. His single-minded pursuit of wearing the crown-- not so much for longevity-- will be his ending. Much like Avon's. Listen to Jay-Z's "Fallin" and think about Marlo and Avon. The ending is inevitable.

Lester? I can't believe he got on-board with McNulty. It's true to character, but I was waiting for the voice of reason to be well... reasonable. It's great writing that he wasn't.

I wouldn't write the media plotline off yet. We're 3 episodes in. A lot could happen. Journalists aren't exactly known for being the most in-line, predictable people.

Pure speculation (but feel free to delete, Alan, if it's anywhere close to the truth): I think we all agree that at least a few of Marlo's people are on their way out, with cause of death "Omar" written all over them. Wouldn't it be the epitome of irony if McNulty's machinations somehow pay off, he gets the money the BPD needs to go after Marlo, only to find the case abated by death because Omar got to him first? It's also disappointing for someone as calculating as Marlo to make precisely the kind of mistake he warned against in season 4: when he hatched the plan to have Omar framed so that he could get to him easily in prison, he reminded Chris what happened to Avon Barksdale when he went after Omar. It's an uneven playing field, because he knows Omar will come after him and is better at finding him than he is at finding Omar. Now he's making precisely the same mistake (though after trying and failing at his original strategy).

"Lester? I can't believe he got on-board with McNulty. It's true to character, but I was waiting for the voice of reason to be well... reasonable."

It's true to character (sort of) if all Lester was doing was spitballing with Jimmy in an offhand theoretical manner (although I'm surprised he'd encourage Jimmy's most suicidal stunt yet). But if Lester actually gets hands-on involved, I call BS on it: it would be totally OUT of character for Lester to join Jimmy in his descent into madness.

The scene with Marlo at the bank was terrific! It isn't totally unbelievable that Marlo doesn't know how off-shore banking works, or even the protocol in a bank. Echoing what someone said earlier about kids in the restaurant, etc., he is a total fish out of water.

Chris and Snoop got to be got! No doubt. And I've got a feeling it's going to be at the hand of Omar -most likely holding that sawed-off he's so fond of. Any chance that Michael will be in the mix as well? Perhaps even to avenge C&S and take down Omar? Would not surprise me, given the cyclical nature of the show.

I found it kind of touching that Michael and Duke brought Bug back to the same lot they used to hang out in -you can still see their tags on the wall behind them. Bug wearing the Batmas mask was hilarous.

Looking forward to seeing Kema get a little more play, as well as Hurk and Goldstein.

Predictions on what Daniels (and/or his wife) did that was so bad all those years ago?

I don't think Lester going along with Jimmy's plan is out of character. He's shown a willingness to burn his career for a case before. Last season he was prepared to martyr himself in pursuit of Marlo; he only relented when Rawls threatened to punish Kima and Sydnor along with him. This time, the only other person on the line would be another willing participant. It's worth remembering that Lester has been chasing Marlo for about as long has Jimmy was chasing Stringer.

Alan has talked about various long absent characters coming back for curtain calls this season. I doubt any of them will be more unusual than Detective Barlow, a random homicide detective who hasn't appeared since the pilot. I could never figure out why he vanished. I always assumed there was some sort of problem with the actor.

With the Lester involvement, after watching again, he definitely seems to be simply after his "two weeks" timing to nail Marlo.. I don't think he has thought through the time it will take to both sensationalize and develop this serial killer theme before the faucet is "turned back on". I don't think he will be able to stomach that process, but we shall see.

Also, this line must make Alan's list when he does the actual review of ep 3: "It ain't easy 'civilizing' this motherf*****" Prop Joe about Marlo...

I think Lester going along with Jimmy's plan would be out of character for three reasons:

1. It wouldn't just be breaking the rules; it would be breaking the LAW--and downright unethical to boot! Lester has never broken the law or done anything unethical before, as far as I can recall.

2. He wouldn't just be sacrificing his career. As Bunk points out, there's a good chance of going to prison over this.

3. He may be willing to sacrifice his own career and risk prison, but he'd also be pushing Jimmy further down his self-destructive spiral--something he cautioned Jimmy against at the end of Season Three. Not to mention the possible repercussions for Bunk.

"That's where you gotta factor in the obsession. Marlo is Lester's Stringer."

That's just another way of saying, "Ignore the fact that Lester is suddenly acting out of character and just take his about-face as given."

Obsessed with getting Marlo? Sure. Breaking the law, risking prison, and encouraging the self-destructive tendencies of a fellow police? Sorry. Not buying it. This isn't the Lester we've known all these years and nothing has prepared us for his sudden metamorphosis into "Jimmy Junior".

I really hope I'm wrong about where I think the writers are heading with this.

Lester ain't Jimmy Junior; he's Jimmy Senior. He was pulling the type of shit that Jimmy specializes in before Jimmy ever even became a detective. Before anything else, he's a crime solver. With regards to Marlo, Lester was obsessing about him long before Jimmy had his renewed interest. Let's just look at the previous episode. It was Lester, not Jimmy, who continued keeping tabs on Marlo. It was Lester, not Jimmy, who thought to bring the case to another organization. In my mind the show has always represented Jimmy & Lester as two sides of the same coin. That's why I can see Lester being on board.

To repeat (since you didn't deal with my other, more substantive objection):

While Lester has always had some qualities in common with Jimmy (a tendency to "fuck the bosses" and keep on the case even after it was "closed"), he has always been presented as a far more sensible and moral person than Jimmy ever was. Unlike Jimmy, Lester has never before put others at risk or done anything downright illegal. Now he's suddenly colluding in an actual crime, risking prison, and encouraging Jimmy in his madness. This new recklessness ABOUT OTHERS is an out-of-the-blue development for Lester.

The question is really what is Lester's ethical philosophy? Does he follow a categorical imperative or utilitarianism? If it's the latter, I can believe he would join in the scheme. If Lester believes that this is truly a victimless crime because the men are a. already dead and b. homeless (therefore without loved ones), then I do believe he would find the end to justify the means. Further, if he believes that there is no chance they could get caught due to the ineptitude of his colleagues and the system, then he doesn't even have compelling self interest to hold him back.

Given those "ifs", maybe. But it would be cocky to the point of delusional to think that there's little chance of getting caught and that, if caught, there's little chance of going to prison. Lester's always had a pretty good grasp of reality...until now.

But is it that unreasonable to think that you can get away with it? Sure, we expect them to get caught due simply to the laws of storytelling, but I've read plenty of true life stories about cops doing all sorts of messed up shit and getting away with it for years. With Lester and Jimmy, we're talking about a plan that at most lasts a couple of months. For righteous people such as them, I could see why they could see it as worth the risk.

Not just the laws of storytelling. There are so many things in real life that could go wrong with Jimmy & Lester's plan. Yes, it was clever of Jimmy to go back and frame some other cop's old case as a serial killing, but all of Jimmy's future serial-killer cases are gonna be ones he just happened to be called out to investigate, and I suppose Jimmy (and Lester?) will put the bodies in some really sick poses. But that right there leaves them open to discrepancies between what those who found the bodies saw and what Jimmy puts in his reports (and what subsequently gets printed in the newspapers). Or are Jimmy & Lester gonna start combing skid row in the middle of the night looking for dead winos to strangle and sexually abuse, so that whoever finds the bodies sees a serial killer's handiwork? I can see plenty of ways that could go wrong, too.

Or maybe Jimmy & Lester hope that even if the department discovers their plan, it won't prosecute them for fear of bad publicity? That's what I suspect the writers have in store. But that's an awfully thin peg for Jimmy & Lester to hang their hopes on. Jimmy & Lester are already personae non gratae whom the department would be only too happy to get rid of. Even if they didn't want the bad PR from prosecuting Jimmy & Lester on this particular crime, why wouldn't the brass just do a Herc and nail them on some unrelated charges, even fabricated ones, in a kangaroo court? At the very least Jimmy & Lester would lose their jobs. And there's still a good chance they'd go to prison for something.

I can believe Jimmy is this far gone. Nothing, however, has prepared us for Lester's sudden seppuku.

In the Philly area HBO has still not posted episode 53 Ondemand? I don't know if others are having the same problem but at least 4 people that have Comcast including myself didn't have it? I even called the cable company and asked them to update my boxes and it still didn't work.

This makes it even easier for me to dump HBO and Comcast once the WIRE is over!!

"I'm the vice-president of a big financial firm.""Yeah well who the fuck isn't?"

In one of the funniest episodes to date this to me was the funniest exchange. Also very true, if you deal with people in banking you realize VP is like junior associate in the real world. Every a-hole and his mother has a business card saying Vice President.

As for McNulty and Freamon, call me crazy but I've come around to their way of thinking. I wholeheartedly agree with Bunk that what they're up to is beyond the pale. However, City Hall is letting John Wayne Gacy Partlow and Jeffrey Dahmer Snoop get away with cold blooded murder to save a few dollars. F the bosses, damn right. 2 dozen young black men don't warrant attention. I say let McNulty and Freamon cook up a Hannibal Lecter for B-more if only to shame the devil into giving them the funding to do what they were born to do. Lester summed up the last 5 seasons in one line "...no one cares". At least they're two natural po-leece that do.

^ I'm coming around to it too...it seems like Lester and McNulty will fully realize the gravity of what they are doing/about to do.

Though people made good points about Lester never breaking the law before, but you have to realize that he is also very fed up with the whole system, and he knows he can get Marlo in a few weeks instead of some really long investigation like for Stringer and co. The guy is old...he has been treated like shit before, and now he has had enough again.

But let's not forget that this is The Wire...nothing really goes the way we expect it to. Though I don't expect Lester and McNulty to fall.

One scene that no one has mentioned before that i loved was when Jimmy mentions that the killer has a signature and we can see that Alma knows how much more atractive the story will be with that colorful detail, Jimmy, of course, doesn't get how the press works and wants to release his info slowly. By the end of the episode he and Lester are trying to find ways to make their serial killer more atractive.

How much over his head is Marlo now? He is going to war with both Omar and Prop Joe at the same time, which would be a bad idea on itself, and his ambitions are now vlearly much bigger than his skills. Even if he menage to beat both Omar and Prop Joe, we all know that the Greek will not be happy when he undestands that his new Baltimore partner is a sociopath who not only calls to much attention to himself, but is also not very able at the political and business sides of the game.

As for the Daniels/Burrell plot. We know thar Burrell doesn't want to go to the press, right? My guess is that he will try to blackmail Carcetti and that the mayor office will leak to him that the source that gave him up about cooking the stats was Rawls. Which would put him in a no-win situation. This development would also means Carcetti would hold the info about Daniels' past in case that he gets to indepedent.

I also loved Davis offering his services to help bringing Burrell down. He hasn't get it yet but his one hope is making a deal and as the scene made clear he has no bridge with the Carcetti administration and the prossecution would only accept a deal, if he can give them some larger fish like Burrell.

"How much over his head is Marlo now? He is going to war with both Omar and Prop Joe at the same time"

Kind of like that psychopath Hitler waging war on both the Eastern and Western fronts simultaneously, which kind of ties in with Bunk's near-quotation of Der Fuehrer in the first episode. I love the way the writers weave in all sorts of allusions and keep developing them.

Valchek: "Fuckin' Burrell's asshole must be so tight you couldn't pull a pin from it with a John Deere tractor." LOL @ "Commissioner Valchek."

- Excellent episode as usual...Some fans seem to have a problem with this season but I'm in love with it and this episode has been the best thus far....I'm excited!

1. Beautiful scene was Jimmy leaving the men's room at the bar and taking a long hard look at himself in the mirror...What's does he say to the blonde awaiting his return? "I'm back." And he is isn't he? The ole Jimmy is back indeed...Superb writing man, real talk....

2. The scene with Roger Twig giving Gus all the info on Daniels, didn't that remind you of season 2 where Prez gives Daniels all the info on where the targets were buying their burners? The look Gus gave Twig reminded me of how Daniels looked at Prez....

3. I love Gus man. The scene where he's called into the office right after Twig to find out his fate at the Sun...after he hears from the big man that he isn't going to get canned, he casually sits down and checks his cell phone...gotta love it.

4. "He fuck you?" Bunk: "He tried, mostly he just fucks himself."

Jimmy: "Most of the guys here couldn't catch the clap in a Mexican whorehouse."

I know that I said this in an above post but to me this whole thing just goes back to the fact that we haven't really seen McNulty's descent, or that of the department for that matter.

I think this whole thing would've made more sense if we had seen the decision by Carcetti to cut police funding, the initial reaction of the cops (especially the Major Crimes Unit), and how that slowly affected the way they do their jobs. I understand that this isn't a show that needs to spoon feed everything, but I think that the reason a lot of us are having trouble believing this plot is that they've jumped right from A to C without showing us all the important stuff in between.

Same kind of thing with McNulty. When did he get drunk the first time? When did he screw around on Beadie the first time? What has her reaction been? What was the reaction of the other cops close to him (Bunk, Kima, etc.)?

One of the major strengths of the Wire has always been that everything flows logically and we see the cause and effect of people's actions. "All the pieces matter" in other words. With this storyline I feel they've gotten away from that a little bit. They needed McNulty in the background for Season 4 so they wrote him into the background, now they need the old McNulty back at the forefront so they've just reinstituted the character without any consideration of what we just saw last season.

I feel like there's an important difference between McNulty going off his rocker and Hamsterdam that I haven't seen mentioned yet--plenty of reputable people have argued for legalizing drugs to make them safer, which in general is what Bunny was trying to do in S3 of the Wire (and I can't wait to see how he and Namond are doing. Love Bunny!) So even though it went badly, it seemed like a viable option to help lower the crime rate re: drug arrests. But no one would argue that creating serial killers out of basic murders to get the Mayor to toss the BPD some money is at all reasonable. You might understand it, and you might root for McNulty to get away with it, but it's DEFINITELY not a reasonable option to dealing with the problem.

But that doesn't mean I can't wait to see what happens with Lester and Jimmy's fuzzy logic on this case!

Quick question for the journos on the board (there seem to be a couple): Do you guys think Simon is running us through the history of journalism hoaxes? First it's the potentially made up boy from a rough neighborhood with an impossibly tough life (Janet Cooke). Then it's the sensational quote about Daniels and Burrell (Patricia Smith's fabricated "I'd swallow the whole...mouse" quote). What's next? A Jayson Blair, I-invented-an-address special?

^ Actually from what I've read Simon is basing that on a reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He was someone who made stories up. And he did it multiple times...just pulled quotes out of thin air, which is what that quote from Narees(sp?) was I guess. It pissed Simon off a lot which is why he holds such a grudge against his previous bosses.

Also, it's clear Burrell is not going to last long, since Frankie Faison is not listed in the credits (for this episode it was "with Frankie Faison"). I'm guessing he will be gone by episode 5 at the latest.

Comcast now has the episode up...I called them yesterday...they told me HBO said they sent it but Comcast hadn't downloaded it yet, and Comcast said they hadn't received it yet from HBO...happened a few times last year as well when the On Demand episode was late.Oh well...it's there now, so enjoy!

Also, it's clear Burrell is not going to last long, since Frankie Faison is not listed in the credits (for this episode it was "with Frankie Faison"). I'm guessing he will be gone by episode 5 at the latest.

Actually by this season pace I'd guess next week. The more I think about it the more his leverage looks very weak. If he leaks the info to the press, how long till I guy like Gus start to ask how Daniels rise to Colonel when his superiors had info about him be dirt. I can ever see Carcetti using this to fire Burrell.

Anyone notice the headline in one of the papers (I forget whether it was above the story about the home invasion or the serial killer)? Something like "Banking Executive Resigns Following Investigation."

Also,Did anyone think somehow Omar and Marlo would cross paths on whatever Carribean island they were on? Having read the blog, apparently it wasn't even the same island, but at the time, there were a few far away views of Omar, which to me implied he was being watched.

I'm glad I was wrong, because that just would have been too farfetched.

Actually, in regards to Joe giving Marlo clean bills, I don't think an explanation was needed... The entire Co-op is made up of such high-level drug lords that I imagine they are all into deals, setups, etc. that this "service" is required.

Note that he referred to doing it as just another job that he charges for... i.e. same day rush usually applies.

Unfortunately, he needed Marlo to participate in the Co-op for obvious reasons, however this was so dangerous since the Stanfield org obviously doesn't believe in having ANY code of honor among thieves.

Far out, this episode was depressing. I just can't help feeling like everything is going to end badly for everybody except those that deserve it: McNulty is going to go to prison, Daniels' career is going to be ruined, Omar is going to be dead (The Wire is not the kind of show where characters get more than one chance at escape!).

I can't wait to see what happens through the rest of the season, but I know that whatever happens, I'm not going to be happy about it.

I completely agree... I have stated before that I have become attached to Michael, Duquan and Bug and as much as I want to see Mike survive and get away from the Stanfield org, I don't see them having time to show him go in that direction.

With this Omar war coming up it looks like he will have even MORE work/soldiering to do and I can't imagine that more killing is going to work in his favor. I am excited to see how his fate develops however.